Rant: Bitches Be Crazy

I just got back from a quick trip to Las Vegas to spend time with my sisters. I had a lot of fun and got to take a nice break from school AND work at the same time (a rare thing these days). There were awesome people, awesome meals, and awesome sites, but one thing that sucked was the flight home.

K and S dropped me off near security and I headed on in. Thankfully, I didn't have to do the full body scanner, just a good old metal detector.  Phew! I grabbed some snackage and a Coke and found a nice spot to chill for awhile.

I had paid an extra $10 to board early (instead of being in Zone 5 or whatever, I got to board with Zones 1 and 2, even though I was in 24F). I met a nice guy who saw I was reading A Game Of Thrones and suggested some other books for me, and then I settled into my nice window seat. 

The couple who sat next to me were among the last to get on the plane. The gentleman (24D) on the aisle was (by my estimates) probably around 50 years old. He looked and sounded smart and polite, and seemed pretty laid back. The woman in the middle seat (24E) looked younger (maybe mid-thirties?), but she pretty much fell asleep (cuddling with the man; I assume they're married or at least dating) as soon as we took off, so I didn't think anything of her. I just kept reading.

I got a Coke on the first round of drinks, but 24E missed it because she had been sleeping. She got something on the second round, and while trying to set it down, sloshed some liquid and ice on to the tray. She almost dropped it completely, but 24D was able to help her out a bit. Some liquid hit me, and the most I heard was a mumbled half-apology that I think was aimed at the attendant (who was trying to help clean it up) but I decided that hey, shit happens. I let it go.

When the flight attendants came back through for garbage, 24E asked if she could get another drink because she had missed the first round. She ordered a vodka and tonic, and the attendant told her to hit the call button if she forgot to bring it.  About 5 minutes passed, and 24E hit the call button. Along came the vodka and tonic. Another 5 minutes or so and the drink was gone. 

At some point here, she went looking for a pen in her purse and couldn't find one. She turned and asked me if I had a pen in my purse, to which I replied, "I don't, I'm sorry." (It wasn't even for her; her friend across the aisle wanted to do a crossword puzzle.) Shortly after, she hit her call button again. Since nothing happened (she gave it probably a whole 3 minutes or so), she hit the button again to turn it off, and AGAIN to turn it back on. What did she need so badly? Another vodka and tonic. ("Not that I need one!" she told told the attendant, as she sloshed some more liquid onto her tray.)

Quick break to let you know that during the flight, I had a headache. I alternated between reading and laying back with my eyes closed to fight off the pain, and I kept my window shade down so I didn't have sun in my eyes. OK. Back to the story.

We had about an hour left in our 3 hour flight, and 24E sloshed her drink again. This time, a decent amount hit me right on the leg and it was icy cold. Still no apology, so at this point, I'm a bit annoyed, but whatever. Back to my book.

And that's when it all went downhill.

24E turned to 24D and said (loudly), "Next time, I want a window seat. Whenever we fly, one of us should have the window seat!" I hear that. That's why I request a window seat; I like to be on the inside so I can lean on the plane and control the window shade. Understood.

For the last 45 minutes or so of the flight, that's all she talked about. Loudly. She complained to 24D (who told her, "it's not that simple" to which she replied, "oh yes it is!") several times. She shifted around to look out the window of 25F behind me, stating that she couldn't see out her window. She kept asking the row behind us about how close we were to the ground, and asking what they could see, since she couldn't see anything. It was pretty damn obvious that she wanted me to open my shade, but she never actually addressed me (aside from the pen inquiry).

I was about ready to just open the damn thing so I didn't have to hear her complain anymore until this happened.

24E: "Next time I want a window seat! One of us has to have the window seat. I can't see anything!"

24D: "OK, but I can't do anything about it. Stop yelling at me."

24E (twisting around to try to look out 25F's window again): "I know, I'm not yelling at you. I'm indirectly yelling at someone else!"

So, in case you haven't realized, I'm the someone else she was indirectly yelling at. Once again, she never addressed me directly. She never once said, "Excuse me, I'd really like to see out the window. Could you open your shade?" or "Can I check the view?" or even "Hey! Open the shade!" It was all a bunch of passive-aggressive statements said to others around me. That's when I decided there was no way I was opening that shade.

I read until we landed. While we were waiting to get off the plane, 24E started getting all sorts of belligerent. "Oh my God! The people up front had like twenty fucking minutes to get their shit out from overhead! Come on! We're from Wisconsin, we're not that stupid!" Um, really? Because as best I could tell, people got up to grab their stuff as soon as the seat belt sign went off, which is the earliest you're really allowed to do so. Twenty minutes? Not so much. She kept yelling things like that. Even on the way out of the plane. ("We're back in Wisconsin! Fuck you, Las Vegas!")

I was proud of myself for being the bigger person and not saying anything on the plane. I also felt like I had done the right thing by not opening my shade. I had selected the window seat on purpose and no one ever asked me to open it. What's done was done.

Until I was walking through the terminal to get to baggage, and from behind me I hear, "...and I couldn't see anything 'cause she wouldn't open the fucking window!" 

Done.

I whipped around and yelled, "You never actually asked me to open it!" She pointed and yelled, "It was you!" as I turned back around.  "Yep. It was me."

To my back she said, "You heard me say it like 5 times!" So I turned back again.

"Yes, but you never asked me to open it. Had you asked me to open it, I probably would have, but you never asked me to." She had the decency to at least look a bit taken aback or (could it be?) a little ashamed. I turned back around and hauled ass to Baggage. 

Thank god Hubby was there right away. On the way to the car, I told him about the experience, almost crying because I was so frustrated and upset. I've never sat next to someone so rude and obviously passive-aggressive as this woman was. I had been able to bite my tongue through the flight. Never mind that I got spilled on. Twice. Never mind that she was CLEARLY trying to goad me into opening my shade for her. I let it all go. But bitching about it in the airport after all was said and done? That was the last straw.

Hubby says I did the right thing and not to dwell on it. I'm not dwelling, but I am reflecting and I agree. I did nothing wrong. I don't work for her or take orders from her. I don't have to open my window shade because she wants to see how far up we are (which, btw, is almost impossible from the middle seat anyway, because I sure as hell wasn't going to let her lean over me; I was reading!). I was never addressed, so I never acted. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

So, if you're out there, 24E, I'm sorry you couldn't see out the window. But next time, either get a damn window seat, or think about asking someone directly if you can see out their window (just because you're in a row, it doesn't make it your window), rather than being a passive-aggressive tuna* who thinks the world revolves around her every desire. You're old enough to know better, bitch.

*My alternative for the 'C' word.

Animal! Animal!

Hey, ho!  Sicky McSickSick here!  Ugh.  I missed half a day of work yesterday and all of today (which, when you work from home, means you're either playing hooky or really effing miserable).  My throat is in slightly less pain today, but, now I can't lie down without having a coughing fit, so, yeah.  Fun!

Doesn't mean we can't continue our journey through Disney, right?

Our second full day (Tuesday, March 6th) was spent at the Animal Kingdom, quite possibly my favorite park!  If you've never been, parts of it are like a ginormous zoo, except you don't usually have to look through cages and wires (with a few exceptions, of course).  Other parts have rides, restaurants and shops like the other parks, and the whole thing is tied together by the magic of Disney.

We started at Tusker House for breakfast.  It was our first time there, and I'm already thinking for our 5 year anniversary (the next Disney trip we're planning) that we should go back.  Why?  Two big reasons.

1) It's Character dining that counts as only 1 table service meal per person (Cinderella's Royal Table was similar with the princesses, but it "costs" 2 table service meals per person).  You start by taking a picture with Donald (in his safari gear, of course) and then upon being seated, you can see Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Goofy all making their rounds (and yes, they WILL stop at your table!).  Too fun!

2) It's a ginormous buffet.  For reals.  Bagels, fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, doughnuts, croissants, ham, quiche, and more await you, and for a 9:30 AM reservation, it really wasn't the madhouse that I had expected.  All the food is nice and fresh (warm when it should be, cold when it shouldn't) and, of course, tasty.  (Not to mention the super tasty juice they bring you!  Man, I could live off that stuff!)

Two memories were made that morning.  The first was when I may have startled our waitress.  Every cast member's name tag shows where he or she is from, and our waitress just so happened to be from Wisconsin.  I was so excited I shouted, "Sconnie!"  Thankfully, the others were there to explain that we were all from Wisconsin (at least, in part) as well, so we bonded over the sad loss of the Packers and the awesomeness of being in Florida without snow.

The second was when they brought over the picture of the 4 of us with Donald.  Now, unlike Cinderella's, the picture they take at Tusker House is NOT included with the meal.  The package (one big photo and 4 smaller ones, I think) cost about $38, and since Bestie had a cast member take the same pic with her camera, we declined.  But, before it was taken away, C noticed something interesting: "They covered my shirt!"  Indeed they had.  C was wearing a Coors shirt that day, and instead of blurring it out or (Heaven forbid) leaving it alone, they covered it with the Disney 2012 logo.

After breakfast, we went on my favorite AK ride, the Kilimanjaro Safari.  I won't bore you with tons of details, but on this ride, you get to go on a safari through the park, where you can see anything from giraffes to warthogs to hippos (yay!) hanging out in what looks like their natural habitat.  Again, sort of like the zoo, but seriously cooler.

We spent some time on the nature trails after that, checking out more animals from around the world and enjoying the beautiful day.  It wasn't too hot, but we decided we'd go on Kali River Rapids.  I freakin' love this ride, and I hadn't done it since high school, so I was all gung-ho.  The signs along the line say, "Caution: You WILL get wet.  You MAY get soaked."  Guess who got soaked...  Yep!  Hubby and I were pretty well drenched (at least from the back).  And since I refuse to go anywhere in shorts, I was wearing full length jeans, which do NOT dry out very quickly.  Or at all.  I had a serious case of wet-butt for the rest of the day.  

In an attempt to dry off (and since I'd never been on it, nor had Hubby), we headed toward Expedition Everest, the mountain ride in AK.  Bestie and her husband love this ride, so we were hoping Hubby would enjoy it, too.  Well, about 2/3 of the way through the ride or so, we came to a stop.  At first I assumed they were helping someone on or off the ride who needed assistance, but we just weren't moving.  At all.  And eventually a voice told us that the expedition was over for right now and to hang tight and wait for a cast member to arrive.  

Now, as much as I am curious about the last third of the ride, this was possibly one of the coolest things to happen.  We got to do an emergency ride evacuation at Disney!  Too cool!!  Hubby, one the other hand, was just happy the ride was over with.  It seems that no, this was not the kind of ride that his body could handle, and he was feeling pretty miserable by that time.  We did an evac through the mountain itself, and while we weren't allowed to take photos (even if some dumb girl did with her phone, ugh), it was an experience I'll never forget.  How many guests get to see the inside of a Disney ride like that?  

After grabbing Hubby some Dramamine, we parked ourselves on a bench and had some treats (mmmm... Mickey Ears).  I think that was when we decided we'd head back to the resort, change, and then hit up Downtown Disney.  By the time we were back at the resort, I asked Bestie if she'd kill me if I said a nap sounded really good.  We all agreed we could use a break, so we said goodbye and goodnight.  

Hubby and I wound up napping for a few hours before hopping on a bus to Epcot for our date night dinner at San Angel Inn, the table service restaurant in Mexico.  I'll probably end up doing some kind of review on San Angel later, so for now, I'll just say 3 things:  1) They did an amazing job making this place feel small and intimate.  2) Everything I ate was pretty freakin' awesome!  3) Beware: Tequila shots here can be expensive.  There's actually a $50+ shot you can get!  Aye yi yi...

Since we had a later reservation, we pretty much headed straight for the bus when dinner was over.  The wait for the bus was ridiculous.  Not because of the bus itself; it was there pretty promptly.  But we had to wait to load a scooter on to the bus (it was being shared by an overweight couple presumably on their honeymoon who just couldn't hoof it through the parks like the rest of us tubby folk), and then a wheelchair (which was being used by an elderly woman, so no grief there).  It actually took so long that a SECOND bus for our resort came up and parked behind it, and the whole line of guests actually cheered when the driver opened the door to let us on.  

All in all, it was another successful and magical Disney day!  Again, I encourage you to check out my Bestie's blog (The Disney Hippy) for a different perspective. :)  

Onward!

And so continues the tale of our awesome Disney vacation...

Sunday, we got up and ready around 8:30.  We came downstairs to find that I (of K & I) had made us an awesome breakfast of bacon, fresh fruit and cinnamon buns.  This is a man who knows how to play host!  We were sad to leave them (and their two little furbabies), but we were so appreciative of all they did for us.  We're already trying to plan another trip to the South so we can visit again!  

From Atlanta, it's about another 7.5-8 hours to get to WDW, so onward we went.  Hubby wound up driving the whole thing (because there was NO way I was driving in Orlando; I can barely handle traffic in Milwaukee!), and I played navigator.  I found it interesting that billboards in that area don't seem to be utilized in quite the same way they are up here.  Most of the billboards around us are for PSAs, cash for gold, chain restaurants, and clothing lines/stores I never knew existed.  But in that stretch, things were a little different.  

First, and most noticeably, only about half of the existing billboards were in use.  There were a TON with "Available Now" on them, and some that just had remnants of an ad from long ago (or maybe last week; it's hard to tell).  Next, of those being used, there were 3 types that stood out the most: religious/political messages, pecans, and strippers.  Pecans are, of course, very southern, but holy wow.  Every other billboard was for goo goo clusters or fresh pecan picking!  Kinda nuts (pun definitely intended)!  The ads for strippers were usually pretty hilarious.  There was one joint in particular that apparently had the motto, "Strippers: Need We Say More" and used it on every single board.  They also had deals (and parking!) for truckers, which I suppose is nice.  Cater to your audience, right?

But then... then there were the ultra-conservative, churchy ads that I just don't take kindly to.  And these made up a LARGE number of the signs along this stretch of the interstate.  "Prepare to meet thy maker!" one of them said.  Really?  Is that a threat?  Or...  I dunno.  The ones that really get me are the anti-abortion ads.  I don't want this to turn political (Puppies & Rainbows!), but suffice it to say I was ready to get out of there. 

When we finally started seeing the signs for Disney, I was beyond thrilled!  We were almost there!!  By the time we pulled into our resort, I was bouncing in my seat and grasping all my confirmation papers, because there was NO way I was going to screw this up, dammit.  I was at Disney, and I was there to stay.  End.  Of.  Story.

Thankfully, check in went quickly and soon we were in our room, unpacking for a week of magic and fun.  A nice cast member stopped by with some gifts for us (darn that bestie of mine!), including little Mickey and Minnie stuffed toys and a set of Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments.  We'd been told to text C's phone when we got there (M's hubby; M's phone was about to die), but hadn't heard back yet, so we just settled in and were pleased to be out of the car.  When our room phone rang, we both just looked at one another.  Hubby was closest, so after a few rings he answered.  It wound up being M telling us that they lost C's phone, but that M's phone was alive and we could call when we were ready to head to Magic Kingdom for the evening.

Words can't really describe the overwhelming feelings that followed.  I was reunited with my bestie after a year of being apart.  I was at the happiest place on Earth with her, her husband, and Hubby.  I had no work or school to think about for a week.  And I was about to go eat INSIDE the freakin' castle, FCOL!  For a few moments there, everything in the whole world felt perfect.  I don't think I could've stopped smiling if I had wanted to.

Dinner was wonderful and fun.  M and I each got a magic wand and the guys got swords.  We each got a wishing star and M and I got to keep our menus!  As we ate, princesses strolled around, visiting each table.  We were greeted by Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle during dinner, and had gotten our picture with Cinderella before the meal, so things were pretty magical from the get-go.  Even more magical was that a few tables over from us, a couple got engaged.  How freakin' amazing would that be??  (The sad part was that the bride-to-be didn't look all that excited; in fact, she looked pretty 'meh' about the whole thing.  Poor guy went through a lot of planning to get that put in place, and she just continued on eating after he put the ring on, as if nothing had happened!)

Magic was everywhere, and I was in such a good place.  So, it should be no surprise that when Wishes (the fireworks display set to Disney music and quotes) came on and we could see the fireworks from our table, I couldn't help but cry.  It was perfect.  Absolutely everything I had hoped for and more.  

After dinner, we did a few rides and found a few souvenirs, but we were all pretty exhausted, so back to the resort we went to get some sleep for a whole exciting day at Epcot! :)

For M's take on the day, check out her blog here.

Back to Life, Back to Insanity

I'm pretty sure that one of the only times I'm actually sane is when I'm on vacation.  Particularly at Disney World.  There's something within my brain that clicks when I'm there, and there's this beautiful realization that being a Disney nerd is not only acceptable, it's encouraged!  No one's going to judge me when I cry during Wishes or squeal when I get to keep my menu from Cinderella's Royal Castle.  It's more than a vacation from work; it's time spent in my own true reality.

So I'm sure you can all imagine that I'm missing Disney pretty badly right about now.  I actually started missing it before I even left, since my bestie and her hubby left before we did.  Hubby was the first to note that it felt kind of sad walking past their room, knowing they weren't there anymore, and I had to agree.  We didn't leave the property for another hour or so at that point, but I already missed it.

Of course, that doesn't mean I can't re-live the experience!  Here's a taste of how things started.

Fri, 3/2/12

Hubby and I left the house around 3 to drop the puppers off to be boarded.  It broke our hearts, and we have vowed not to leave her again for a good, long while, but it was our only option.  As we drove to the facility, the rain/sleet combination turned into ginormous snowflakes.  Thank goodness we didn't leave any later, or things might've gotten ugly.  As it was, we saw 3 or 4 accidents before we were even out of the Milwaukee metro area!  Regardless, we made it safely to Indianapolis and stayed at the Hilton for the night (thanks to Hotwire).

Two things of note in Indy.  1) People seem to think that temps in the 40s is damn near unbearable.  You can't imagine how many people were whining about how cold it was.  Hubby and I were in sweatshirts going, "Uh, we just escaped a blizzard...  This is nice."   2) Downtown is almost as confusing as downtown Madison.  There are one-way streets EVERYWHERE, and some streets aren't labeled (or at least weren't labeled very well, since we never found the street signs).  Not cool, Indy.  Not cool.

Also, the Hilton, not as swanky as you'd hope.  Low quality TP, beds weren't that comfy, and TV channels were limited.  That aside, the room was really nice, especially for the price.   

Sat, 3/3/12  

We left around 9:30 or so and headed on our way to Atlanta.  While driving, we actually went past one of the towns in Indiana that was hit hardest by the tornadoes, Henryville.  You hear about the destruction on the news, and you see a picture or two, and you think, "God, how awful!"  But when you actually see the devastation...  It's a whole different feeling.  I started crying.  There were semi trailers that were ripped open, buildings flattened, cars overturned, paint stripped from houses...  And that was just what we could see from the interstate.  We didn't even realize what we were coming upon until Hubby noticed some guys at a nearby rest area dressed in full fatigues.  National Guard was out to help people, and boy was help needed.  

Driving past Henryville really slowed us down (not just because the town itself was nearly destroyed, but because people had to stop to gawk), but soon we were back on our way.  I took over driving at some point and eventually we got to Atlanta to I and K's house.  They took us out for some awesome BBQ at Fat Matt's Rib Shack and then we talked and relaxed for a few hours before heading to bed.  The bed there was the best we had during our entire trip, if you can believe it.  And they have such a great house!  We're already trying to plan a road trip down that way so we can visit again. :)

Stay tuned for more...

Soooooo close...

As Hubby informed me this morning, "Riki... It's Wednesday."  In my world, this is both good and bad.

Good, obviously, because we leave for vacation on Friday night.  That means a whole week without work.  A week without homework.  A week with my hubby and bestie.  A week in the magical world of Disney.  And, among other things, it means a road trip with my hubs and a (brief) visit with a good friend in Atlanta!  There is lots of good coming my way!

The bad?  It's Wednesday.  Before we leave Friday evening around 5, I have to finish taking notes from a recent lecture and take a quiz for Forensic Science.  AND I have to take a psych mid-term.  Usually I do these things over the weekend, but clearly, that's not an option, so I'm a little stressed out.  And it's not like I have all the time in the world.  I do work full time.  And I have to pack.  And I have to find some time to relax and/or sleep so I don't become Rikzilla.  

It also means that Miss Maxine will be boarded for over a week.  :-(  I so badly wish we could bring her with us.  Anytime we leave her behind, I just know that she thinks we've abandoned her, and I cannot STAND that thought.  Fortunately, she'll be boarded somewhere familiar (our vet offers boarding) and she'll have her bed and Rocky (her favorite toy).  I just wish I could do more to make her understand that we DO love her and we WILL be coming back.  The whole language barrier between species makes that pretty difficult, though.  

The silver lining of boarding her, though, is that it's one of the few times she'll voluntarily interact with other dogs.  Maxine is a little too territorial and protective of us, so normally when she encounters another dog, she barks like crazy (with some whining thrown in for good measure).  When she's boarded, we're not around to protect and she's on neutral turf.  We actually have photo evidence that she can get along with other canines in that situation!  In fact, she seems to make friends!  Who knew, huh?

So, maybe instead of thinking of it as a week of boarding, I should think of it as a week of socialization and play dates.  It's like camp for dogs!  And she'll just be that much happier to see us when we come pick her up after vacay.  Yep.  That's my story and I'm sticking with it. 

For now...

It's The Final Countdown!

Well, no, it's not.  But if you now have "Na na na-na, na na nanana, na na na-na, nana na na na na naaaaah..." running through your head, then my efforts are not fruitless.

With all the crappy circumstances right now, I figured I could use a reminder of some happier things.  So, let the countdowns commence!

~4 days... until I see K!!  YAY!!!  :-D

~9 days... until Thanksgiving (and a 4-day weekend)!  Mmmmm... pie...

~25 days... until Fall semester is over!!

~39 days... until Christmas Eve Day!  And ANOTHER 4-day weekend!!

~47 days... until 2012!

And possibly the coolest countdown...

~111 days until Disney World with my bestie!!  YAY!!!!

Huh.  Look at that.  I do feel better now. :)

Mini-Vacay Recap

Saturday: Our first plane took off from MKE around 11 AM and we landed in Memphis between 12:30 and 1 PM.  After lunch at the Blue Note Cafe (the only area in the airport that allows smoking), we made it to our gate and took off for Mobile.  Got in around 3:30 and found my Grandpa waiting for us.  Grabbed our luggage and away we went, all 5 of us (Mom, Dad, Hubby, Grandpa and myself), to Grandpa's house in Moss Point, MS (about a 40 minute drive).  Spent the evening hanging out on his front porch, just talking and enjoying the weather.  Had deli meat and cheese sandwiches for dinner (Grandpa bought enough ingredients to feed an army).  Passed out shortly after 10 (soooooo tired).

Sunday: First full day down south!  We porched it in the morning, then headed off to Biloxi to have brunch at the Grand Casino.  Hadn't been there since Katrina.  It used to be a casino boat, but the storm put it up ON the highway.  When they rebuilt, they did so on the land-side of the highway as a regular building.  Of course, I was the ONLY one in the group to get carded (Hubby's less than a year older than me and NEVER gets carded).  Buffet was good, but not as spectacular as I remembered.  Played some penny slots after eating.  Put in $20 and eventually cashed out at $15 (got up to $26 at one point and down to about $3 at another, so I figure I did alright).  Headed out along the coast and hit up Souvenir City, a favorite store of mine from childhood visits (though, it has also been relocated/rebuilt).  Got a cute ornament of a starfish wearing an eyepatch and a pegleg.  Mom bought me a mini souvenir license plate with my name spelled right (a rare find!).  Headed back to Moss Point and spent the rest of the day napping and porching.  Deli sammies for dinner again.


Monday:  Headed toward Mobile, AL to spend the day at Bellingrath Gardens & Home, which I haven't done since I was about 12.  Though it's still early in the season, the flowers were beautiful!!  We took the river cruise and spotted an osprey up in its nest.  We were followed/flocked by seagulls (partly because kids aboard were feeding them popcorn), which was actually fairly amusing (if not a little noisy).  Grabbed some lunch at the on-site cafe after the boat and continued wandering around the gardens.  Found a snake along the way, which wouldn't have been so bad if Mom wasn't terrified of them.  Made our way out and headed back to Grandpa's for the rest of the day.  More napping and porching.  Deli sammies for dinner.

Tuesday: Had breakfast at the local Waffle House (a true novelty for us Yanks) and then headed back toward Mobile to see the USS Alabama Battleship.  Dad and Hubby disappeared down some stairs, so Mom and I wandered the ship for awhile.  There were some interesting things to look at, but this trip was more for the guys (as Monday's trip was more for the girls).  Dad and Hubby also went down into the USS Drum submarine, but Mom and I have some issues with claustrophobia, so we stayed on deck (so to speak).  When they were done, we headed to Pascagoula to see what their beaches looked like.  They've cleaned things up quite a bit, but there's nowhere to park (and, as such, no one there).  We also grabbed lunch at Lucky Seafood, where we had some good po-boys (not quite the same as in New Orleans, but still good).  We headed back to Moss Point for a bit and checked out the swamp in Grandpa's back yard.  Saw some movement, but couldn't tell what was in there.  Went to dinner at Steve Barnhills, where they have a $5 all-you-can-eat buffet.  Food's actually pretty decent, too!  But they were out of hush puppies, which really saddened me.  I didn't get to have a damn hush puppy the whole trip!  Boo.

Wednesday: Same path back (Mobile to Memphis to MKE), and about the same times.  By a little after 5 we were already on our way to pick up Miss Maxine from the doggie dorms.  Boy was she happy to see us!!  We had a great time, and it was sad to leave Grandpa and the warm weather, but we definitely missed our puppers and our own bed.  Also, I'm still covered in bug bites that itch randomly like crazy.  Ugh.  Stupid noseeums (little black gnats that you can't necessarily see too well; thus "no see 'ums").